3) Smart Grid News, an industry journal, says that the $$mart grid as being developed today is like driving “without a steering wheel and brakes” and that the chances of this journey ending safely are not good.

4) I’ve written a letter to BCUC charging Hydro with discriminatory practices. It is below. I would ask that you write to your MLAs about this issue. It could be years before all $$meters are connected, and we will be discriminated against if this is allowed to persist!!

5) In Massachusetts, they are questioning the impact on property value as more cell transmitters are required to support this stupid grid, in light of recent survey showing dramatic effect of homes near cell transmitters.

6) Dirty electricity is caused by harmonics on the home wiring – like those caused by $meters. Dr. Magda Havas has shown that DE elevates blood sugaramong those who are electrically sensitive causing a type of diabetes.

Please accept this as an official complaint about BC Hydro’s discriminatory practice of charging some customers different rates than it does others. This is clearly in contravention of the BC Utilities Commission Act, section 59.

Discrimination in rates

59 (1) A public utility must not make, demand or receive

(a) an unjust, unreasonable, unduly discriminatory or unduly preferential rate for a service provided by it in British Columbia, or

(b) a rate that otherwise contravenes this Act, the regulations, orders of the commission or any other law.

(2) A public utility must not

(a) as to rate or service, subject any person or locality, or a particular description of traffic, to an undue prejudice or disadvantage, or

(b) extend to any person a form of agreement, a rule or a facility or privilege, unless the agreement, rule, facility or privilege is regularly and uniformly extended to all persons under substantially similar circumstances and conditions for service of the same description.

The basis for this charge is that BC Hydro is charging some customers who are having meters read manually a monthly fee while it is reading other customers’ meters and not charging them a fee. This is discriminatory, offering those with smart meters a service without additional charges while assessing their neighbours who do not have a smart meter, a substantial monthly fee. There is no difference in the service to justify these additional cost other than the type of meter. In fact, in its testimony in support of the legacy fees, BC Hydro said that it takes longer to read a smart meter than it does to read an analog.

Until every smart meter in the province is attached to the grid and is being read remotely, then no one who must have the meter read manually should be treated any differently – no one should be charged for a service that is already included in our rates.

BC Hydro acknowledges that the BCUC has the duty and responsibility to ensure that BC Hydro treats its customers fairly and equitably:

I ask the Commission to do its duty and tell BC Hydro to cease charging legacy fees until all smart meters are connected to the grid and none are being read manually. All fees that have been collected to date must be refunded.